Example embodiments of the present invention relate to a game system, a game device, a storage medium storing a game program and a game process method with which it is possible to perform game operations using a pointing device.
There are conventional techniques with which a player can perform game operations using a pointing device capable of specifying a position on the input surface. For example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2007-75353 discloses a game system using an optical pointing device. The input device of this game system is an optical pointing device having an image-capturing mechanism and is capable of capturing an image of a marker placed at an arbitrary position. The game device obtains the image-capturing result from the image-capturing mechanism (i.e., the position of the marker in the captured image) as operation data. Since the image-capturing result varies depending on the position and the direction of the input device, the game device can calculate the pointing position (the position specified by the input device) based on the operation data. A cursor is displayed at the pointing position, and the cursor is used for the player to specify a position on the screen.
With the pointing device, it is possible to specify a position on the screen. Since the game system of Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2007-75353 uses an optical pointing device having an image-capturing mechanism, it is possible to calculate the distance from the marker to the optical pointing device, and to identify the position with respect to the depth direction. However, it was difficult with a pointing device to specify a direction in a three-dimensional space displayed in the screen. Moreover, in a case in which a touch panel or a touch pad is sued as the pointing device, it is only possible to specify a two-dimensional position on the screen, and it is not possible to specify a direction in a three-dimensional space.
Example embodiments of the present invention may provide a game system, a game device, a storage medium storing a game program, and a game process method, with which it is possible to easily and intuitively specify a direction in a three-dimensional space using a pointing device, specifically a touch panel, a touch pad, or the like.
Example embodiments of the present invention may employ the following configurations (1) to (14).
(1)
Example embodiments of the present invention may relate to a game system including a game device, and a hand-held device having a predetermined input surface. The hand-held device includes a touch data output section, a movement data output section, and an operation data transmission section. The touch data output section outputs touch data representing a player input position on the predetermined input surface. The movement data output section outputs movement data whose value changes in accordance with movement of the hand-held device. The operation data transmission section transmits operation data including the touch data and the movement data to the game device. The game device includes a first receiving section, a surface control section, a direction calculation section, a game process section, a first image generation section, and a first image output section. The first receiving section receives the operation data. The surface control section controls an attitude of a control surface placed in a three-dimensional game space based on the movement data. The direction calculation section calculates a control direction in the game space based on the attitude of the control surface and the touch data. The game process section performs a game process based on the control direction. The first image generation section generates a first game image representing the game space based on a first virtual camera which is set in the game space. The first image output section outputs the first game image to a first display device which is separate from the hand-held device.
The term “game device” as used herein may be any information processing device that performs game processes, and generates images based on the game processes. That is, the game device may be a single-purpose information processing device for games, or a general-purpose information processing device such as an ordinary personal computer.
While the term “hand-held device” as used herein is a portable game device in the embodiment to be described below, it does not need to have the function of performing a game process (game program) and it does not need to have a display section. That is, it may be a hand-held device used as a game controller of the game device. A terminal device 200 of a variation to be described below may be used as the hand-held device.
The term “game system” as used herein is only required to include a game device, a controller device and a hand-held device, and it may or may not include the “predetermined first display device” for displaying the first game image. That is, the game system may be provided in a form in which the predetermined first display device is not included, or in a form in which it is included.
The term “touch data output section” as used herein refers to a touch panel in the embodiment to be described below, but it may be any section as long as it outputs touch data representing an input position on the input surface, and may be a touch pad, for example.
The term “movement of the hand-held device” as used herein includes a change in the position of the hand-held device and a change in the attitude thereof. That is, the “movement” may mean either a change in position or a change in attitude, and may also be a change in both position and attitude. The term; “movement data output section” as used herein may be any section as long as it is capable of outputting movement data based on which the movement of the hand-held device can be calculated (estimated), as well as an acceleration sensor or a gyrosensor as in the configuration (14) below or the embodiment to be described below.
The term “control surface” as used herein may be a surface whose attitude at least changes in accordance with the movement of the hand-held device, as well as a surface whose attitude changes in accordance with the attitude of the hand-held device as in the configuration (13) below or the embodiment to be described below.
The term “game process based on control direction” as used herein may be any process as long as it is a game process that uses the control direction as an input, as well as a process of determining the movement direction of an object in the game space based on the control direction as in the configuration (2) below or the embodiment to be described below.
The term “separate first display device” as used herein may be a device that is formed as an integral unit with (in the same casing as) the game device, for example, as well as a television 2 as in the embodiment to be described below.
With the configuration (1) above, the attitude of the control surface is calculated based on the movement data in accordance with the movement of the hand-held device, and the control direction in the three-dimensional game space is calculated based on the calculated attitude and the touch data. Then, the player can specify the control direction using the operation of moving the hand-held device itself and the operation of making an operation on the input surface of the hand-held device. That is, with the configuration (1) above, it is possible to easily specify a direction in a three-dimensional space using a pointing device such as a touch panel, a touch pad, or the like. Since the operation on the attitude of the hand-held device and the input operation on the input surface can foe performed in parallel simultaneously, the player can quickly perform the operation of specifying a direction in a three-dimensional space.
(2)
The game process section may control a movement direction of a predetermined object in the game space based on the control direction.
The term “to control based on the control direction” as used herein means not only to use the control direction as it is as the movement direction of the object as in the first example to be described below, but also to set the movement direction in a direction different from the control direction as in the second example to be described below.
With the configuration (2) above, the movement direction of the object in the game space is determined by the control direction. Therefore, the player can easily perform an operation of moving the object in the three-dimensional game space using a pointing device such as a touch panel or a touch pad.
(3)
The direction calculation section may include a position calculation section and a direction identification section. The position calculation section calculates a control position on the control surface based on the touch data. The direction identification section identifies the control direction based on the control position.
The term “control position” as used herein may be any position that is determined based on the touch data, and it may be calculated so as to correspond to the touch position on the screen (the embodiment to be described below) or may be calculated so that the position on the screen is different from the touch position.
The term “direction identification section” as used herein may be any section which identifies the control direction based on the control, position, and it may calculate the control direction so as to be parallel to the control surface as in the configuration (4) below or the first the first example to be described below, or may calculate the control direction as a direction that crosses the control surface as in the configuration (7) below or the second the second example to be described below.
With the configuration (3) above, the control position on the control surface is determined based on the touch data, and the control direction is determined based on the determined control position. Therefore, by using the control position based on the touch data, it is possible to easily identify the control direction from the attitude of the control surface and the touch data.
(4)
The position calculation section may calculate a plurality of control positions on the control surface based on touch data representing successive inputs. In this case, the direction identification section identifies, as the control direction, a direction represented by the plurality of control positions.
The term “touch data representing successive inputs” as used herein is data representing input positions which are repeatedly detected while the player is touching the input surface, and is for example data representing a plurality of input positions which are detected when an operation of drawing a line (trace) on the input surface is performed.
The term “direction represented by the plurality of control positions” as used herein may be any direction which is calculated based on a plurality of control positions as the direction of a line segment that connects together the plurality of control positions. For example, the “direction represented by the plurality of control positions” may be a direction that is represented as an average velocity of a plurality of control positions, or may be a direction that connects between predetermined two points of the plurality of control positions (e.g., the first control position and the last control position, or the last control position and the control position before the last).
With the configuration (4) above, a plurality of control positions are calculated on the control surface based on the touch data representing successive inputs, and the direction represented by a plurality of control positions on the control surface is calculated as the control direction. Therefore, for example, when a line is drawn on the input surface, a direction in accordance with the direction of the line may be identified as the control direction. Therefore, the player can specify a control direction through an operation of moving the hand-held device itself and an intuitive and easy operation of drawing a line on the input surface.
(5)
The game process section moves a predetermined object in the game space in a direction determined by the control direction in an attitude determined by the attitude of the control surface.
With the configuration (5) above, the movement direction of the object is determined by the control direction, and the attitude of the object is determined by the attitude of the control surface. Therefore, the player can operate the attitude of the object in addition to the movement direction thereof, and it is possible to control the object in a detailed manner through an easy operation.
(6)
The surface control section may control the attitude of the control surface placed in the game space based on the movement data. In this case, the game process section sets the first virtual camera so that the control surface is included in an image-capturing range.
With the configuration (6) above, the first game image is generated so as to include the range of the control surface, and the first game image is displayed on the first display device. Then, since the player can check the attitude of the control, surface by looking at the first game image, it is easier to operate on the hand-held device and it is possible to improve the controllability.
(7)
The direction identification section may identify, as the control direction, a direction from a predetermined position in the game space to the control position.
The term “predetermined position” as used herein may be any position that is set in the game space, and it may for example be the position of the virtual camera, the position of the reference point Pa as in the embodiment to be described below, or the position of a particular object. Although the “predetermined position” is a position that is not on the control surface in the second example to be described below, it may be a position on the control surface. If the predetermined position is a position on the control surface, the control direction is parallel to the control surface as in the configuration (4) above or the first example to be described below.
With the configuration (7) above, the direction from the predetermined position in the game space to the control position on the control surface is calculated as the control direction. Then, when a point on the input surface is touched, a direction in accordance with the touched position can be identified as the control direction, for example. Therefore, the player can specify a control direction through an operation of moving the hand-held device itself and an easy and intuitive touch operation on the input surface.
(8)
The game device may include a second image generation section and a second image output section. The second image generation section generates a second game image representing the game space based on a second virtual, camera which is set in the game space. The second image output section outputs the second game image to the hand-held device. In this case, the hand-held device includes a second receiving section and a display process section. The second receiving section receives the second game image from the game device. The display process section displays the second game image on a second display device which is provided on the hand-held device.
With the configuration (8) above, the first game image is displayed on the separate first display device, and the image of the game space is also displayed on the second display device of the hand-held device. Then, the player can perform game operations while looking at two images, and the game operations are made easier.
(9)
The direction identification section may identify, as the control direction, a direction from a position of the second virtual camera to the control position.
With the configuration (9) above, since the direction from the position of the second virtual camera to the control position is the control direction, the direction from the viewpoint in the second game image to the control position determined by the touch position is the control direction. Thus, as the start point of the control direction and the viewpoint, in the second game image are made to coincide with each other, it is possible to display a natural game image with which the player does not feel awkward when, for example, the object is moved in the control direction.
(10)
The game process section may move the second virtual camera in accordance with a change in the control surface so that the control surface is included in an image-capturing range of the second virtual camera.
The terra “to move the second virtual camera” as used herein means to change at least one of the position and the attitude of the second virtual, camera.
With the configuration (10) above, in a case in which (at least) the attitude of the control surface changes through an operation of moving the hand-held device, the second virtual camera moves in accordance with the change. Then, the content of the second game image displayed on the screen of the hand-held device changes through an operation of moving the hand-held device. Therefore, when the player changes the general direction of the control direction through an operation of moving the hand-held device, the player can perform an operation while looting at the screen of the hand-held device, and it is thus easier to perform the operation.
(11)
The touch data output section may be a touch panel including the input surface on a screen of the second display device.
With the configuration (11) above, since the touch panel is provided on the screen of the hand-held device, the player can specify a control direction through an operation of touching the screen. Therefore, it is easier to perform the touch input operation for specifying the control direction.
(12)
The game process section may set the second virtual camera so that an input position on the input surface and a control position corresponding to the input position coincide with each other on the screen of the second display device.
With the configuration (12) above, when the player touches the screen of the hand-held device, the position in the game space displayed at the touched position is calculated as the control position. Then, the touch input operation for specifying the control direction is a more intuitive operation, and it is easier to perform the touch input operation.
(13)
The game device may further include an attitude calculation section for calculating an attitude of the hand-held device based on the movement data. In this case, the surface control section controls the attitude of the control surface in accordance with the attitude of the hand-held device.
With the configuration (13) above, the player can change the attitude of the control surface by changing the attitude of the hand-held device. Then, it is possible to make the player feel as if the player were actually tilting the control surface in the game space through an operation of tilting the hand-held device.
(14)
The movement data output section may include at least one of an acceleration sensor for outputting acceleration data and a gyrosensor for outputting angular velocity data.
With the configuration (14) above, the game process section can easily calculate (estimate) the movement of the hand-held device using the detection results of the acceleration sensor or the gyrosensor.
Example embodiments of the present invention may be carried out in the form of a game device of the configurations (1) to (14) above. Example embodiments of the present invention may be carried out in the form of a computer-readable storage medium storing therein a game program which causes a computer of any game device to function as mechanisms equivalent to the various sections of the game devices of the configurations (1) to (14). Example embodiments of the present invention may be carried out in the form of a game process method to be carried out in a game system of the configurations (1) to (14).
According to example embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to easily specify a direction in a three-dimensional space using a pointing device such as a touch panel or a touch pad by calculating the attitude of the control surface based on the movement of the hand-held device, and identifying the control direction in a three-dimensional game space based on the calculated attitude and the touch data. The direction input by the player can be recognized intuitively.
These and other features, aspects and advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description of example embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.